A Distant Promise
by The Sacred and Profane
Summary: They made a promise to each other. Forever... ReTi oneshot for aerisbolt.


A Distant Promise

AN: I own nothing in this story including the song. This is dedicated to aerisbolt so enjoy! Please R&R.

_The one who awaits you _

_Will never let you feel lonely_

_Know this at least_

_Know this at least..._

_-Poem from Shaman King_

_The park was nearly empty as Reno and Tifa walked through it, hands entwined._

_"I've had a really great time tonight, Re," Tifa said softly, moving closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk._

_"Me too," Reno replied, arm wrapping around her waist. Reno was discovering just how much he enjoyed being with Tifa, how even the simplest things with her were becoming the most joyful experiences in his life. Right now all he wanted to do was stay beside her, walking in the sunset forever. Which explained why he didn't say anything, basking in the moment with his lover._

_"Isn't it beautiful?" Tifa whispered several minutes later. She gestured towards the retreating sun which was painting the sky with ribbons of pink and scarlet gold._

_"I suppose," Reno remarked. Tifa looked at him with a raised eyebrow at that._

_"You suppose? Doesn't that sunset take your breath away? If it doesn't then somethings seriously wrong with you." As she was talking, Tifa had moved apart from Reno and was pointing to the clouds and sky overhead, trying to emphasize her observation. Reno just shook his head and chuckled._

_"No, it really doesn't take my breath away." He moved closer to her then and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close until she was pressing against his chest. "Now you on the other hand....you take my breath away," he whispered, his cool breath causing goose flesh to rise as it caressed Tifa's neck. The fist fighter's face turned as red as a tomato._

_"T-that's not the point here, Re," Tifa said, inwardly cursing the stutter that escaped her lips. Reno just smirked at her and kissed her on the lips. Once they had broken apart, he smiled._

_"Do you know how adorable you are?" That comment broke Tifa out of her kiss induced stupor and her eyes narrowed a bit._

_"I am not adorable," she muttered. Reno just nuzzled her neck._

_"Yeah you are and- but she silenced him with her lips._

Reno smiled at the memory and laid back in his bed, fingers idly tapping on the covers; the silver band on his right hand standing out on his otherwise unadorned digits. He heard the sound of running water and soon another memory came to him.

_Blinking his eyes against the sunlight, Reno woke up. He heard the shower running and sat up, __running a hand through his hair. Tifa then started singing and Reno moved closer to the bathroom door in order to hear better._

_" This serene feeling..._

_Tell me, what's the word people use for it?_

_Tell me a story that's locked away_

_in the white-sand moon._

_Let me hear it_

_as gently as light shining down..._

_Such a warm feeling..._

_Tell me, what's the name that people give to it?_

_Softly, let me hear _

_of the distant future,_

_so bright it can't be seen,_

_like a white-sand moon."_

_As Tifa finished her song, she heard clapping and saw a blurry outline standing in the bathroom._

_"Bravo babe, bravo," Reno said, still clapping._

_"I wasn't that good," Tifa replied._

_"No you weren't good, you were great!" Reno said quickly._

_"You can't be in here if you're wearing clothes Re," Tifa said. A few moments later she heard something hit the ground and then Reno pulled back the shower curtain, naked as the day he was born. He quickly got in, shutting the curtain and wrapping his arms around Tifa's body._

_"Did I say you could join me?" Tifa asked._

_"No, but you were insinuating that you wanted my company," Reno whispered. One of his hands trailed along her hip before moving lower and cupping her right butt cheek. Tifa stiffened a little but she didn't tell him to stop._

_"Like that do you?" Reno questioned, kissing her on the side of her neck. Tifa turned around then and smirked at him._

_"It's nice but..." Reno then felt one of her hands wrap around his waist while the other cupped his butt tightly. "I like yours a bit better." Reno sighed dramatically, shaking his head._

_"I've been a bad influence on you." Tifa's response was to grab some shampoo and squirt a gob of it on his scalp._

_"Then let me try to clean you up, 'kay?" Tifa said softly, kissing him deep on the lips. The hot water fell all around them and steam rose up in the air before dissipating. After some time of enjoying __each other's lips Tifa laid her head on Reno's chest, his heartbeat soothing her._

_"Forever and ever, right?" Tifa whispered. She looked up into Reno's eyes and he nodded._

_"Promise..." Tifa smiled. _

_"I'll be with you forever Reno, promise," Tifa said, kissing him on the cheek._

As the memory vanished like morning fog from his mind, Reno sighed. They had been married a few months after that, some quiet little church in Kalm, and a few months later she told him that they were going to be parents. He had picked her up, ignoring her squealing cries to put her down and twirled her around. At that moment, he couldn't have been happier.

A couple months later Reno found himself dealing with morning sickness and mood swings not to mention the cravings. Tifa joked that he was acting like a mother hen all the time but he insisted he was just watching out for her. A month later the doctor noticed an irregularity and then Reno's world became needles, tests, and anxiety.

The birth had been three months premature and Tifa had gotten paler. Bags were under her eyes and pain wracked her body.

Reno didn't like to remember the last few weeks after that. Her suffering, her agony, her final moments. The final beat of her heart as he held her hand as it reached for his face to wipe his tears away. He shook his head and looked down at the wedding ring he still wore after 9 years.

"Daddy..." Reno turned his head at the voice and saw his little girl standing in the doorway. She was dressed in her white pajamas and was rubbing one of her eyes with a tiny hand.

"Did you have a nightmare Elly?" Elly nodded, red hair bobbing up and down. He opened his arms and Elly jumped into them, hugging him tightly. After several minutes of holding his daughter, Elly looked up at him. "What did you dream about?" Reno asked.

"There were bad things and it was dark and I got scared. But then a pretty lady showed up and made the bad things go away."

"How did she do that?"

"She punched and kicked them. The lady looked like me but she was real sad."

"She was?" Elly nodded and snuggled closer to her father.

"I asked her why she was sad and she said she was keeping a promise and- but Elly stopped talking when she saw some tears trailing down Reno's face. She reached up and brushed one of them away. "Daddy don't cry." Then she took both her hands and pushed upwards on Reno's face, causing him to smile. "You look silly!" Elly said, giggling at her father's comical appearance.

"I do?" Elly nodded and Reno lifted her up then, hands tickling her belly. The child shrieked with laughter and squealed when Reno started blowing raspberries on her stomach.

"Daddy stop!" Elly yelled. Reno did after a few more tickles and Elly's eyes narrowed at her father. "That was real bad daddy! I'm not playing with you ever again!" Elly looked away from Reno then.

"Not even for chocolate chip pancakes?" At that Elly looked at him with wide eyes.

"Choco chip pancakes?" Reno nodded and Elly raised her arms in the air, excited beyond belief. Reno chuckled and looked at his wedding ring one last time.

As Aerith watched the happy scene taking place below the heavens, she turned to Tifa who was standing beside her.

"Do you think he got the message?" Tifa nodded, eyes never leaving her precious family.

"We made a promise..."


End file.
